Col. Tim Collins OBE
Colonel
Colonel Tim Collins OBE came to the attention of the public at the beginning of the Iraq war when his rousing, "Magnanimous in victory" speech to his men, on the eve of battle, was broadcast worldwide. It has become one of the most famous speeches of modern time and is rumoured to be displayed on the wall of the Oval office.
He was born in Belfast and educated in The Royal Belfast Academical Institution and Queen’s University Belfast where he read Economics. Tim was commissioned into the Army in 1981 and joined the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers in Berlin.
After completing several operational tours (including Northern Ireland and the Falklands) he became aide to the Chief of Staff in the UN in Cyprus. He served as a staff officer for a short period in 1992 before attending the Army Command and Staff Course where he gained an MA. Tim served in a variety of staff roles before returning to the Royal Irish Regiment as a company commander. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel at thirty-eight and was posted to London in December 1998. He assumed command of 1 R IRISH in January 2001, and led the Battalion in East Tyrone (where he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service), on the Fireman’s strike and in Iraq during the Second Gulf War.
Tim was awarded the OBE in 2003. Promoted to Colonel, he was Project Director for the Peace Support Training Centre in Sarajevo and then took charge of training at HQ Land Command in December 2003. He left the Army in August 2004.
Tim’s autobiography “Rules of Engagement” was published by Headline in May 2005 and went straight onto the Sunday Times Bestseller List at No. 3 where it stayed for several weeks. He recently presented a documentary entitled ‘British Army - Be the Best?’ made by Tiger Aspect for Sky One. He has been the subject of the BBC’s Real Story and has contributed as a talking head to a wide range of television programmes. His three part film 'Desert Generals' (BBC NI) which told the tales of the Ulstermen who changed the course of the Second World War, filmed in Egypt, Libya and Northern Ireland was screened in 2006. In 2007, Collins was host of a three-part documentary called Ships That Changed the World for BBC Northern Ireland.
An inspiring speaker, combining extensive experience of active service with broad and detailed knowledge of military and political history, Tim is in demand as an authority on teamwork, leadership and motivation. He has recently been engaged by, amongst others, the House of Commons, The CIPS, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, the British North American Group, Oxford and Cambridge Unions.
Tim Collins was born in Belfast and educated in The Royal Belfast Academical Institution and Queen’s University Belfast where he read Economics.
He was commissioned into the Army in 1981 and joined the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rangers in Berlin.
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